


Five Times Sterling Had Thoughts About Nate and Sophie

by storiesfortravellers



Category: Leverage
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi, Post-Series, Relationship Issues, Unresolved Sexual Tension, getting closer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-10
Updated: 2013-08-10
Packaged: 2017-12-23 00:45:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/919998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storiesfortravellers/pseuds/storiesfortravellers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nate/Sophie established relationship. Sterling gets them to help him on important cases. Against all his better sense, he starts to think about them in a less than professional way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Times Sterling Had Thoughts About Nate and Sophie

The first time Sterling called Nate and Sophie in to help on a case, he was determined to take down a murderous diamond smuggler protected by a vast empire and a number of bribed officials. He told himself that it was because he needed one of Nathan’s brilliant plans. Deep down, he knew that it was no there was no way to do it without a top-notch grifter. He showed them photos of the smugglers’ victims, and they agreed to help.

They brought down the man in two weeks (various investigators had tried for years, Sterling knew). He had to admit, Nate and Sophie were two of the most intelligent, bold, and devious people he knew. And the two of them elevated each other; watching them work was like watching a great artist paint, a mathematical genius offer a brilliant new proof. Not that he was going to tell them that.

But Sterling bought them champagne when it was done, to celebrate and to thank them. They opened it right there, shared it with them. He watched as Nate and Sophie kissed each other, long and messy, and he couldn’t look away. When they parted, Sophie gave Sterling a little wink.

Damn. Of course Sophie had noticed that he was staring.

Of course.

\--

The second time Sterling asked them for help on a case, one of Sterling’s old college friends had been fleeced by someone notoriously elusive. They had to call in for a little assistance from the hacker, but they soon were working their mark ( _suspect_ , Sterling reminded himself) like pros. Nathan was especially brilliant, and Sterling found himself enjoying working with him, remembering what it was like in the old days, when there was friendship between them, maybe even a kind of appealing closeness.

Sophie of course somehow roped Sterling into pretending to be her husband, and she kept leaning in close to him, whispering in his ear, hot breath distracting him from the job and his own good sense. She also found a reason they had to dance together, bodies pressed tightly against each other as Sophie moved with his body gracefully, as if they were made for each other.

While they were dancing, he whispered, “I know you think you’re making me uncomfortable, love. It’s not working.”

She smirked. “Darling. If I wanted you to be uncomfortable right now, you would be _uncomfortable_.”

\--

The third time they worked together, they had a disagreement the second day in. Sterling decided to bug their room to learn if they were planning something behind his back.

It occurred to him that he might end up hearing them have sex, but his job involved quite a bit of invasion of privacy, and it didn’t really bother him. He might even have been just a tad bit curious.

He spent ten minutes listening to Nate and Sophie speculate about how Sterling would be in bed – mostly laughing at how he would obviously be awful – before Sterling realized that they knew they had been bugged.

\--

The fourth time he calls them in for a case, their dynamic is off. Sterling figures out quickly that they are fighting.

Well, not really fighting. Having that passive aggressive semi-silent resentment that Nate is so good at.

Eventually, Sterling overhears that Sophie doesn’t think that Nate will ever feel anything for her that can come close to what he once felt for Maggie. 

That night, he tells Sophie, “I know Nate. And I knew Maggie. They loved each other. But a lot of the time they didn’t like each other.”

“I didn’t realize that,” she said, eyebrow raised. She seemed suspicious of his motives.

“I just want you two to focus on the job. Besides, if you think that Nate isn’t insanely, obsessively in love with you, you’re not nearly as observant as I thought.” 

She smiles and thanks him and takes her leave.

He goes to Nate then, and his words are shorter. “Here are the blueprints. By the way, you might want to be less of a stubborn ass if you want to hang on to the only woman who not only tolerates you but seems to enjoy your company.”

“Your concern is appreciated,” Nate says, amused it seems.

“Let’s all focus on the work then,” he grumbles, and points to the exits on the blueprints.

\--

The fifth time he brings them in for a job, Sterling is almost killed. He ran right into the front door of the mark’s house to provide a distraction so that Nate and Sophie aren’t killed sneaking out the back. But the mark doesn’t buy his cover story and is even less impressed when he says that he’s an Interpol agent.

Sophie knocks on the front door then, posing as a cousin and lieutenant to a powerful European gangster, and she talks them into releasing Sterling for a promise of future business. 

When they are safe, Sterling begins to thank her, but she grabs his lapels and kisses him, hard.

She pulls back then and says, “I should slap you. For taking such a stupid risk.”

He grins.

“And for being a general ass,” she adds.

He looks over at Nathan then, but Nathan doesn’t seem jealous. He slaps Sterling on the shoulder and smiles. “Close one,” he says, and Sterling nods.

They retreat to their hotel rooms; it’s already late, too late to find a restaurant in this town, but Nate and Sophie have wine and leftover take-out in their mini-fridge and they invite him in for dinner.

They talk and laugh and are generally just relieved to be alive.

Hours later, when it is very late, Sterling finds himself slumping across their headboard, struggling to stay awake. Nate sees him and smiles. He says, “Aww, look, Sterling can barely keep his eyes open.”

“I don’t blame him,” Sophie says, snuggling against Nate’s shoulder on the other side of the bed. “I can barely stay conscious myself.”

Sterling just grunted lightly.

Sophie sat up straight then and smiled at him, and Sterling suddenly felt pleasantly like prey.

“You know,” she said, “One of these days, when we’re not all traumatized and drunk and exhausted, we’re going to invite you to bed with us.”

Sterling stared. He wondered, for a moment, if he was being mocked. 

He looked over at Nate, but there was no smirk. There was no anger either.

He was too damn tired to think straight. But he was pretty sure they were making an offer.

He tried to think of something witty to say, but couldn’t.

He settled for, “It would be okay if we were a little drunk, wouldn’t it?”

Nate and Sophie smiled, went back to cuddling each other.

Sterling managed to lift himself off the bed and return, ambling, to his hotel room. 

All night he dreamed of Nate and Sophie. Lips, hands. Teeth. Her dark hair running soft across his skin as they all moved in concert. Elegant motions punctuated with sounds, guttural moans, primal and lush and luxurious pleasure all in one.

In the morning, he slept past his alarm.


End file.
